CROSSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday distanced himself from a claim attributed to him falsely alleging that employees will be forced to pay union dues if the state’s so-called right-to-work law is not enshrined in the state constitution.
Last week, organizers behind the proposed constitutional amendment posted a message they said came from the Republican governor. The statement included a long list of reasons supposedly from Lee on why the amendment would benefit Tennessee, but it also had Lee warning that if the amendment fails “hard-working Tennesseans will be FORCED to fall in line, pay union dues, and join organizations that give payouts to political cronies.”
“I didn’t make that tweet,” Lee told The Associated Press at a campaign stop.
The tweet was posted Oct. 25 by the Vote Yes on 1 committee, where Lee serves as the state chairman. The group did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Tennessee voters are currently weighing whether to change the state constitution to add existing law that bans a company and a union from contracts that require workers to pay dues to the union representing them. Proponents, which include Lee and other top Republican politicians, call the prohibitions “right-to-work” law. Unions oppose the change and the right-to-work label.
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